


Genocide | Joshler

by softjoseph



Category: Bandom, The Walking Dead (TV), Twenty One Pilots
Genre: 21 pilots - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Band Fic, Bandom - Freeform, Bisexual Tyler, Everyone Is Gay, Gay Josh, Gay Male Character, Gore, Horror, M/M, Post-Zombie Apocalypse, Romance, Tysh, Zombie Apocalypse, joshler - Freeform, joshler smut, joshua dun - Freeform, twenty one pilots - Freeform, tyler joseph - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-08-29 11:31:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8487673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softjoseph/pseuds/softjoseph
Summary: After the death of his wife, Tyler is left alone to fend for himself in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Walking corpses have lead Tyler to flee, in search of somewhere safe to stay. Little did he know his safe haven would be a Man.





	1. Prologue

I was running.

The tears trailing down my face mixed with blood and dirt splattered all across it. The moment was on repeat in my head. Her blood curtailing screams echoing through the trees as her flesh was ripped off by ravenous remains of what people would used to refer to as the dead. The spine trembling sounds of her insides being ripped right from her bones was imprinted into the creases of my brain. Her flaxen blonde hair became tainted with her own blood and theirs. Her shaking hands reaching out to me as if i could make it all better, hoping it was just a dream. But when her sparkling indigo eyes where no longer in my view, i ran. I couldn't save her, so i would have to save myself.

They clumped together in herds, they were stronger that way. My only weapon was a measly pocket knife which was fine if there was just one of them. But now there was 30 maybe 40 of them. The ones who weren't gnawing on my wife where chasing after me.

I just left her there, in a pool of her own blood, becoming seasoned with the iron like substance which they craved. We were running away from them together, but she had tripped on the root of a tree and the weight of the bag on her back held her down. They where fast, they reached her before i could and immediately took her life away from me. I stood there in shock and i screamed all until one of them reached out to try and grab me. I said one more thing to her before running:

"I love you, Jenna. I'm sorry."

Everything ached in my chest. My lungs from running and my heart for Jenna. I don't know why i wanted to live. But something inside me kept telling me that this wasn't the end for me. So i kept running until the grunts and moans of the dead where much quieter than before. i reached a small gravel road, it broke apart the forest and i could see the sky. It was blue and bright, as if it didn't know what was about to come out of the forest behind me.

I ran across the street to the other side of the forest before picking a tree and climbing it. I sat silent among'st the trees, waiting for the pack to pass through. I prayed that my gut feeling was right, that this wasn't the end. Because i didn't want to just survive,

I wanted to live.


	2. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit begins

The road seemed like it would never end. My legs ached from carrying the support of myself and my back pack. I hadn't eaten in two days and i was almost out of water. The glowing sun pressed into my skin making me groan. The heat was unbearable.

I stopped and took off my backpack to rip off my shirt. There was a fine definition between where my shirt once was on my skin and the skin that was exposed. I couldn't tell if it was because i was getting tan or if i was just covered in dirt. Either way, i could care less how i looked. I couldn't remember the last time i actually bathed and i could feel that my cheeks were very sun burnt.

I stuffed my dirt and blood stained shirt into my backpack and i continued walking down the road. In the distance i could see a bigger clearing that looked like a small town. I immediately picked up my pace, using the rest of my energy to see what was up there.

Once i reached the clearing, i was disappointed to see that it was only a gas station with a small shop. I walked into the shop to see almost all of it completely cleared out. I walked down the few aisle to find nothing but a small bag of mixed nuts. I sighed and grabbed the bag, knowing that it wouldn't hold me over for long. I hopped over the counter where the cash registers were and found a pack of cigarettes on the ground. I happily grabbed them and walked out of the 'not-so-convenient' store.

I sat out in front of the store giving my legs a break and i opened the almost embarrassingly small bag of nuts and began eating them. I pulled my pocket knife out and stuck it beside me. I pulled off my backpack and placed in front of me, in between my legs. I unzipped my bag and looked for my journal, the only thing that kept me sane.

Ever since Jenna passed away, i was left alone with my thoughts. One day i came across a journal and it became my outlet and the closest thing to social interaction i could get, besides a few wandering biters that really only wanted to eat me.

I began writing anything and everything that was on my mind, from the sad bag of nuts, to the pack of cigarettes, to even my dirt/tan line. And then i thought about her. The women that brought me so much joy for years. Her lively smile and ocean eyes. The way she would laugh so hard that she would squeeze her eyes shut and throw her head back. How her hair would shine so brightly in the su-

My writing came to a halt as a gunshot rang through the surrounding trees. Without thinking, i shoved everything into my bag and began running into the forest. I could hear my blood pumping in my ears and my breathing quickened.

"Hey!" Someone shouted at me from behind. In no way was the tone welcoming. I took a quick glance to see a tall man with dark hair with a gun in his hand. I continued running until i caught a sight of a man with a messy mohawk standing in front of me, also with a gun. he smirked when he saw me and started running towards me. I stopped unsure of what to do as another man to the right of me also started running closer. i started to back away to my left until i felt something cold press against the side of my head. Someone grabbed my hair and turned my head so i was looked at them. My mouth hung ajar as my brain begged for more oxygen. I reached into my back pocket, digging for my knife. I looked up to the man that had a grip on my hair and he laughed at me before throwing me to the ground and cocking his gun.

"Dump out your bag," He pointed to the ground with his gun. "Now." My shaking hands reached for my knife again and i pulled it out and flicked it open, quickly slashing the tall man's leg.

"You fucking bitch!" he pulled the trigger, missing me and hitting my bag.

"Woah Dallon, don't kill the man." the man with the mohawk spoke.

"He stabbed me!" the man named Dallon whined. I tried to scramble up but i was held down by a blonde haired man stepping on my arm with a blood covered boot and taking the knife out of my hand.

"You've lasted this long out here with...this?" he flicked the knife open and laughed at it before throwing it into his pocket. a man with tattoos up his arms ripped my bag away from me and dumped it onto the ground, exposing the very few possessions i had. He search through the pile with the mohawk man while Dallon climbed right on top of me and put his gun to my forehead.

"Give me one fucking reason not to kill you right now." My whole body shook and my eyes looked back and forth between his trying to find something to say.

"He doesn't have it. He has nothing." the guy with arm tattoos spoke while kicking my now empty backpack. Dallon immediately got off of me and yanked me off the ground and spoke in my ear.

"You're fucking lucky, brat." he shoved me away and i collapsed against the mohawk man. "Josh, make sure the kid doesn't have a damn heart attack and get him back to the truck." The mohawk man gripped my forearm and began walking away from Dallon. "And Mikey, go with that twat, make sure he doesn't make any stupid decisions." I looked back to see the blonde man start walking with us. i struggled to get out of Josh's grip.

"P-please! L-let go of me!" I cried.

"Struggling is only going to make it worse." Josh sighed out as his grip tightened on my arm. A lingering biter was heard in the distance. Josh stopped walking, starting to pull out his gun.

"I got it!" Mikey shouted running towards it and taking out my knife from his pocket. Josh's grip loosened on my arm as the blonde ran farther away.

"We are taking you to some place safe. You'll be fed and you'll have somewhere to stay." Josh stated. i couldn't speak back. there was a lump in my throat from me trying not to cry. Josh pulled me through the forest until a black pick-up truck came into view. Josh opened the door and pulled out a zip-tie before grabbing both of my wrists and tying them together. "Im sorry" was the last thing the mohawk man said before shoving me into the back and hopping in the drivers seat, waiting for the others to emerge from the forest.


	3. 2

The truck slowed as we pulled up to two huge wooden slabs that were surrounded by stacks of tires resting on scrap metal. During the trip here i had to be gagged by a man, that i later learned was named Pete, because i couldn't stop crying. he had tied a piece of cloth tightly around my agape mouth so it would muffle my sobs. 

The wooden slabs where on wheels and started to move as the truck approached them. We rode through them and pulled over to the side. I was pulled out of the truck by Dallon and i fell to the ground. i screamed in pain but the makeshift gag muffled most of it. 

"Get up" Dallon demanded. with my hands still zip tied it was hard for me to stand up. i looked like a mess. Gagged, zip tied, shirtless, dirty, sun burnt, and broken. I didn't understand what was going on. Why was i here?

"I said get the fuck up!" Dallon kicked me in the stomach and i curled into myself. i cried out in pain again and i braced myself as the tip of his boot struck my exposed flesh. he painted my skin with blossoms of assorted hues of indigo and violet. None of the men in his pack stopped him they just, watched. They watched me fall apart. 

I was confused as to why the pain stopped so i looked up to see someone dragging Dallon away. He made Josh and Pete hold Dallon back while he came down to my level. i flinched away from him and he lightly put his hand on my arm. he grabbed a knife and cut off the zip tie and then proceeded to take off the gag. My jaw ached, along with the rest of my body. i look at him examining his face. his lips where moving but i couldn't hear what he was saying. His dark hair was slicked back and it was shorter on the sides than at he top. he had hazelnut eyes and a button-like nose. His brows furrowed and he shook my arm lightly, knocking me out of my daze.

"W-what?" I finally spoke. his concerned caramel eyes met mine.

"Are you okay?" he examined my body, his eyes clearly answering the question. He gently helped me stand up and put his arm around me for support. 

"Dallon, meet me in my office. I'm going to take, uh, what's your name?" He asked me.

"T-tyler" i choked out.

"I'm Brendon." he gave a soft smile. "I'm going to take Tyler to medical." He shot a glare to Dallon and his crew consisting of Pete, Josh, and Mikey. He turned away from them and he started walking me through the street. compared to the intimidating gates to this place, it was quite nice. There was a few building and housing places and, people. Alive people conversing with each other and smiling. There was even children running around with a happy dog. I always dreamed of having children on my own. I admired everything about this place, the perfect landscaping, and the clean streets, it was a little slice of heaven in the midst of the flames.

"T-this place... I-it's lovely" i spoke. Brendon let out a light chuckle. 

"I call this place the Peninsula. I knew at the beginning of this mess people would need somewhere to keep safe. It started with about ten of us. But now, we have over seventy people. It has grown into something special. I'm proud to call it mine." Brendon smiled and waved at a few of the people. We turned into a building and i felt the cool breeze of air conditioning hit my exposed chest.

"Y-you have AC" is all i managed to get out which made him chuckle again.

"Each building has it's own backup generators. we use it for the basic stuff, like lighting at night and AC during the day." We walked down a hallway until he opened a door to his left and lead me through. I heard a squeak and a short woman came up to me.

"Oh my, bring him over to the chair." She patted the seat and Brendon guided me over and let me sit down.

"if i could stay i would, but i really need to take care of the whole cause for this situation. Tyler, this is Melanie, she will take good care of you. You are safe here and you won't have to worry about anything, okay?" his bright smile grew as i nodded my head slightly. 

"Well Tyler, welcome to the Peninsula. I hope you enjoy it here." Brendon smiled one more time and before he left i took a moment to look over his outfit. He looked so professional and well put together. He wore a gray vest with many pockets that went over a faded purple button up. He finally left the room and i was left alone with Melanie who was examining my skin the whole time i stared at Brendon. He probably thought i was weird. 

"Well the good thing is, you don't have any broken bones." She smiled at me, revealing a small gap between her teeth. "You are just badly bruised and severely fatigued. Nothing time and rest can't heal. I can show you to a place where you can stay temporarily, until you have recovered." i nodded my head in acceptance and she helped me up from the chair before guiding me farther down the hall into another room. It was small, but it felt homey. A queen sized bed took up most of the space and it was covered in a dated floral quilt. i walked into the room and immediately got into the bed falling asleep almost immediately. 

 

When i woke up, there was a pile of folded clothes and a towel in the chair in the corner. on top of the clothes there was a handwritten note:

"Tyler,

I figured you would want to shower when you woke up. Lucky for you, the bathroom is right across from your room. After that, come see me at my place. You can ask Melanie where it is.

Brendon"

I smiled at the note and i picked up the folded pile before making my way to the bathroom to shower the weeks of built up dirt that formed on my flesh.


	4. 3

"You see, we recently had someone steal some of our supplies from medical. So, I sent my best guys, Dallon, Pete, and Mikey, with my assistant, Josh, to go find our supplies. I did not mean in anyway for them to do this to you and I am deeply sorry." Brendon sat behind his dark oak desk while explaining to me what had happened. His sorry eyes scanned my frame for any sign of forgiveness. Strangely, I really believed Brendon. He had a nice and secure place built. For once since the beginning of all this, I felt safe. So, I gave him a smile.

"It's okay, I get it. Supplies are hard to come by nowadays." He smiled back at me and I blushed. He got up from his chair and walked over to a wooden cabinet that matched his desk. He pulled out a glass bottle and gestured it to me. 

"Whiskey?" he offered. I shook my head.

"I'm good, Thank you." He shrugged and went to pour himself a small amount into a glass. he took a sip and placed the glass down. He sat back in his chair and smiled at me.

"Tyler, you need to know the we ha-" Brendon was cut off by a disheveled Josh walking through the door with a blood splattered apron on. His mohawk was messier than ever. Our eyes locked for a millisecond before Josh began speaking to Brendon.

"It didn't work, sir. I-I need more time with the generator on." Brendon sighed and leaned back in his chair. 

"How much time?" Brendon asked. He grabbed his whiskey and took another sip before playing around with the liquor in the glass.

"No more than ten days." Brendon leaned forward and set his glass down harshly.

"Ten days?" He got out of his chair and walked over to Josh "Josh, I can't let you do that. That's using too much energy. We have other people to support here, you know." he put his arm around Josh's shoulder and started leading him to the door.

"But its i-important, sir. It could save us al-"

"Now you listen to me" Brendon said in a hushed voice. He turned around to look at me and gave me a smile before pushing Josh out the door and into the hallway. I couldn't hear their conversation anymore but I heard muffled yelling that was exchanged between the two. Brendon walked back in and ran a hand through his hair and down his vest before sighing. When he caught me staring he immediately smiled.

"Care to go for a walk? I could show you around the place" Brendon offered. I smiled slightly, trying to not let my brows speak my confusion for me. 

"I-I think I'll go rest up for a bit. It's been a, uh, long day." Brendon nodded his head and smiled again.

"Of course." He gestured to the door and I stood up from my seat, walking over to the door. Brendon opened the door and I slowly made my way through it. I felt his stare beating down on me, so I turned my head and locked eyes with him until the door was completely closed. I let out a breath and rubbed my hands against each other, trying to calm my anxiety. I walked down the artificially lighted hallway. 

I immediately stopped walking when I heard yelling from the door to my right. Someone is in danger I thought. I put my ear against the door only to hear more commotion. I tried to open the door but it was locked. I began banging on the door.

"Hello? Are you okay in there?" I jiggled with the door handle more while hitting on the door. I heard a crash and the lock on the door clicked. The door openly slightly to show the same disheveled Josh peaking his head through. 

"Uh, Taylor? What do you want?" Another crash came from the room and Josh quickly whipped his head around to see what it was. I tried to look through but when he turned back to me he shut the door slightly. 

"I-It's Tyler... and I just heard a lot of commotion. I just wanted to make sure someone wasn't hurt." I heard a low grunt and Josh whipped his head back again and he shot me a worried look.

"I have to go."

"Wait Jos-" He closed the door and locked it while another crash resonated from the room. I heard more shouting and i slowly backed away from the door before picking up my pace and heading towards the door. I needed air.

I stepped outside and I took in a fresh breath. I bent over and put my hands on my knees, staring at the ground. This place is weird.

"Hey, Tyrell." I lifted my head only to make eye contact with Dallon. Was my name that hard to remember? 

"It's Tyler." I spoke quietly, intimidated by his height and past actions. 

"Right yeah, Tylor." I rolled my eyes. "I wanted to know if you will be going to the bash on Friday." Why did he care what I did? What day of the week even is it?

"The, what?" I questioned.

"The bash, you should go. It's going to be a... hit." He smiled and it made me even more disgusted by his presence. It wasn't warm and welcoming like Brendon's at all. It was conceded and mischievous. I rolled my eyes again and turned away from him walking the other way.

"Brendon would love to have you." I stopped in my tracks and looked to Dallon. Dallon smirked. "Yeah thought you'd respond to that." He turned around and started walking away. "You better be there, or I'll beat the shit out of you again." He turned back around and flashed me a wink. He laughed and continued to walk away. 

"Dick" I muttered under my breath. I began walking back to the building where medical was held. My hands flew to my ears as a gunshot echoed through the air, followed by laughter. I shot my head to the gate where people on a tall platform all high-fived a woman with short blonde hair. When my heart finally got back to its normal rate, I continued walking with the thought of my wife and her beautiful blonde hair. 

God, I miss her.


	5. 4

My room was nearly torn apart.

"Where is it?" I had searched everywhere looking for the only thing that made me want to live, my journal.

The sheets that were once neatly on the bed were now on the floor, all knotted together to represent something that looked like how I felt at the moment. The clothes that were neatly folded on the chair now laid scattered across the old wooden floor.

I leaned against the wall and slid down, hugging my knees to my chest. She was gone. Every memory I remembered making with her, I wrote it down in there. Every detail of her face, perfectly described with adjectives that only began to really understand her beauty. Her loving heart, mind, and soul was stitched in between the pulp of the delicate pages. And it was gone. Now I could hardly remember her striking eyes that caught me in the first place. Were they more emerald green, like the tint of sea? Or where they as blue as the sky on a cloudless day? They were the first and last thing I ever saw of her.

The worry in her eyes only made them that much bluer. Surrounded by her own blood and rotting flesh, her eyes stood out the most. I could hear them louder than her screams, and mine. Her tears that made them sparkle, only added to the effect that if her eyes were the ocean, then i was lost at sea.

I heard a soft knock and the door creaked open. Melanie stuck her head into the room and looked around.

"Hey Tyler? You okay? Josh said he heard some commotion coming from this room." I shook my head in the palms of my hands and I began sobbing. Melanie opened the door wider and walked into the room. She sat down next to me.

"Hey what’s wrong?" She put her hand on my shoulder.

"I can't find it. My journal. It has everything that meant the most to me before the world went to shit."

"Like what?" She asked.

"M-my wife. Memories of her mostly." Melanie sat up a bit.

"Where did you leave it?"

"I-I don't know. I was writing in it before Dallon and his dickheads attacked me in the fores-" I lifted my head from my hands and stood up, walking out of my room.

"Where are you going?" Melanie and her short legs ran behind me.

"I'm going to get my journal."

Once I was out of my building I began to run straight to Brendon's office. I banged on his door.

"Brendon! Open the door please!"

"You aren't going to find him in there." I turned around to find Dallon leaning against the opposite wall. I walk closer to him. Our faces would've be practically touching if he wasn't so damn tall.

"What the fuck did you do with my stuff? You know, the stuff I lost when you jumped me in the forest?" Dallon smirked and leaned down so we were eye to eye.

"I didn't do anything with your stuff, princess. I left it there in forest to rot away." I glared into his eyes.

"Then take me back." Dallon laughed and shook his head while walking away.

"Well fuck you too!" I shouted, echoing through the hallway.

"Gladly!" He shouted back. I was taken back by his response and i took a few steps back, only to fall onto the cold tile floor. I laid on the floor and looked up to the ceiling letting out a sigh. I should've gone with Jenna.

I heard a door open in the hallway and i immediately sat up seeing Brendon and Josh both wearing aprons covered in blood. Brendon took off his apron and threw it at josh.

"I told you it was a waste of time Josh." He huffed and walked down the hallway towards where I was. He looked up and jumped when he saw me staring at him. A piece of his hair fell into his face.

"Tyler? What are you doing here?" He walked to his door and took out his keys, unlocking his office and stepping in leaving the door wide open. I walked in and closed the door lightly behind me. He immediately went and poured himself a glass with whiskey.

"Um well there was something I lost that is very important to me when I got...attacked by Dallon and the rest." Brendon downed the whole glass and gestured towards the door.

"Alright. Let's go get it then." He grabbed his vest and zipped it up before running a hand through his hair and walking out.

"Wait, now? Oh okay." Brendon waited for me to walk out before closing the door behind me. We walked out of the building and towards the gate.

"Open it up." Brendon commanded. As the gate began to open, he pointed to the same black pickup truck.

"Get in." I nodded and hopped into the passenger's seat while he grabbed a rifle from a short blonde haired lady. He hopped into the driver's seat and started up the car, driving through the open gate. His grip tightened on the wheel as he accelerated.

"W-we don't have to do this Brend-"

"You said it was important, right?" He asked not taking his eyes off the road.

"Well yeah it is but yo-"

"Then we will go get it." He cut me off and sped up. "Where did you say they attacked you?"

"Um I was at this small gas station when I saw them and I just kinda ran into the trees." Brendon nodded his head as the gas station came into view.

Brendon got out of the truck and slammed the door a little too harshly. I hesitantly stepped out of the truck and followed Brendon into the forest.

"Why don't you check over that way." Brendon pointed to his right with the rifle in his hand.

"O-okay." I slowly started to walk in the direction Brendon pointed to. I crept around through the trees, trying to be as quiet as possible, searching for my bag.

"Hey Tyler! Is this it?" I turn around, only to be met with a rotting face and whitened eyes that were tackling me to the ground.


	6. 5

I was forced into the dampened soil by the full weight of a biter. I held it back by its chest, as it snapped its jaw at me. The flesh around it's jaw was putrescent, exposing the darkened bones that it uses to tear anything and everything living apart.

Without a weapon at my side, I was forced to lay under the slobbering creature. A concoction of spit, dirt, and bits of remains, oozed out of its trap and onto my face. The miasma from the stagnant human brought tears to my eyes and made me choke on my breath. It's incoherent grunts of hunger somehow only added to the putrid aroma that was escaping it's pores. But with one blow to the back of it's head, the biter became limp and collapsed on top of me.

I pushed the body off of me and took in a deep breath. I stood up and took the bottom of my shirt and wiped the fresh bodily fluids off my face. Brendon jogged over with my bag and a shotgun in his hands.

"You alright?" He asks I give a simple nod before taking my bag out of his hands. I shuffle through the contents.

"It's not in here... Dammit!" I threw the bag as hard as I could before putting my face in my hands and collapsing to the ground. Brendon sat next to me on the ground and put his hand on my back lightly, rubbing it along my spine.

"Look, I'm sure Dallon or someone has it... But, maybe it's a sign, Tyler. Maybe its time to move on." I lifted my faced and turned to look at him. Sincerity was woven into the fine hairs of his brows and his mocha eyes where dripped in compassion. Our bodies were amazingly close. At the simple touch of his hand my back was on fire and my mind was drowning in confusion. But the plug was pulled when I realized that his lips where locked with mine.

I pushed him away and a shiver ran through my body. I could hear Jenna's cries from above me. 'How could you do this to me, Tyler?' is what she would say. She was the love of my life. I grabbed my bag that I threw onto the ground and began running. The ringing in my ears as I ran through the forest was really just the echo of her screams.

"Tyler, wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Please, I need to drive us back." Brendon chased after me, shouting through the trees. I'm sure he was attracting attention, but he was fully capable of defending himself.

I looked behind me to see Brendon nowhere in sight. I slowed down and waited for my breath to catch up with me. I sat down on the ground and rested my head up against a tree. My fingers brush against my chapped lips, the older mans salivation still lingering on top of them. My wife's words of disappointment echoed in my head. But to say I hated it would be lying. It was different, and eccentric. I was intrigued. I love Jenna, but now I realize it may not be the love she felt towards me. I thought that was as good as it got. But now I'm beginning to question everything. I didn't run because I hated it, I ran because I was scared that I might've enjoyed it.

Jenna's sobs filled my head and it broke my heart. 'I thought you loved me, Ty.'

"I'm sorry, baby" I said out loud, which caused her to sob harder. I sighed, holding back tears. The leaves of the tree I was under began to ruffle and I looked up.

"Shit... mother of dick." I stood up and looked up into the tree where a pair of caramel eyes met mine.

"Who's up there?" I asked. The tree branches halted all movement as the pair of eyes continued to stare into mine.

"It's uh... it's Josh." The branches continued to moved until I heard a crack followed by a profanity that sent the Mohawk man back to the earth. He wheezed for air as all of his got knocked out of him. I bit my lip to stifle a laugh and offered my hand to get him off the ground. He quickly accepted it and stood up, wiping the dirt off his clothing.

"Are you okay?" I asked. he nodded and stretched his arms up, allowing air to flow into his lungs. His shirt lifted slightly and I couldn't help but take a glance of what hid underneath his loose article. Before he could catch my staring I looked down to the ground and played with a piece of mulch by my shoe.

"Why are you out here?" He asked, cutting through the heavy silence.

"I could ask the same to you." He let out a laugh and looked up with a smile.

"I come out here to get a break. It quite peaceful. Sometimes there is one or two lingerers but I manage." I hummed and nodded my head while letting out a slight laugh of confusion. But why would he want to leave the protection of the Peninsula? It was such a lovely place.

"I came out here to get my bag" I held it up slightly in my hand.

"You came alone? How did you get out?" He then asked.

"Um, I came here with Brendon but I ran off" I spoke, trying not to push the topic of the past situation any further. "Can you not come and go as you please? I mean, How did Brendon get out here? How did you get out here?" Josh sighed and put his hands on his hips while adding moisture to his lips by his tongue. My eyes lingered on his plump lips for a second longer than they should've. I wonder what his lips feel like. Jenna screamed out in pain but I ignored the noise as much as I could.

"There are a lot of things that go on at the Peninsula that you don't know about. And if I told you, I would have to kill you, Tyler." My mouth stood agape and I backed away from Josh, the tensing of my back becoming visible. Josh suddenly burst out into a fit of giggles and threw his head back in joy.

"I'm totally playing with you, Ty. Don't be so tense." He rested a hand on my shoulder and I immediately let loose at the warmth of his touch. I felt a similar sense of safeness as I did when I first walked in the Peninsula. But his hand left my shoulder just as quickly as it claimed it spot there. I automatically lifted my hand up to the spot and sighed in content as I felt the reminisce of warmth.

And maybe is was because of the peaceful silence, or the warmth on my shoulder, or the bright smile that was staring into my eyes, but I felt safe. Completely defenseless and yet completely carefree.

And completely safe.


	7. 6

I had climbed up into the same tree Josh was hidden in when Brendon came through looking for me. He shouted my name and apologizes hung through the trees. Fortunately, He didn't linger for long, because three biters started chasing him. Josh and I had to stifle our laughs watching him run away in absolute terror as one had snuck up behind him. Once the forest was back to its pre-apocalyptic state, we talked. And we talked and we talked. Words only shared between him and the trees. We spoke of who we were. Josh dreamed to refer to himself as a epidemiologist or researcher. He had minored in epidemiology in college but somehow wounded up being a biology teacher at a fairly local high school. I never met a scientist with a mohawk before.

"So what about you? Who are you?" Josh's eyes stuck to me with curiosity, waiting for an answer. I shrugged my shoulders.

"There isn't much about me. I tried getting out into the music industry by playing at local restaurants but my two other bandmates left me and so that backfired. I was desperate for money so I got a job serving at a bar. My wife brought in most of the money." I held back tears brought on by the memories of her.

We lived in a one bedroom apartment together. It was small, and it was past the title of lived-in, but we made it work. It was perfect for just the two of us. We were happy. She was my everything. Her shimmering golden hair was my sun. She radiated warmth and love through her pearly smile and shockingly green- no wait- blue eyes. Her divine blue eyes that had claimed my soul at first glimpse.

"Did you lose her?" His voice was threaded with silk as the pure sound was so soft you would want to reach out and stroke it and let it encompass your whole existence.

I slowly nodded my head and picked at the dirt under my fingernails. Josh looked down to the ground below and shook his head. His shoulders dropped as he let out a laugh.

"Its fucked up isn't it? I mean what did we do to deserve this?" I looked up from my hands and looked at him. "I'd like to think that there is someone, something out there watching over us. But now I'm just not so sure. We are losing the people we promised forever to." Josh played around with a ring on his left hand. He sighed and looked up putting his hands by his sides. I placed my hand on top of his. The steel band embraced around his ring finger kissed the palm of my hand, contrasting with the warm perspiration that coated my skin. I enclosed my hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Its hard living for people." I began. "It's easy to say you would die for someone. But its hard to keep going when all you have left are the memories of everyone you love." Josh's gaze had made its way over to my hand that was over his.

"I loved him so much." He spoke quietly. My stomach immediately woke at the simple pronoun. My heart skipped a beat and I was forced to control my breathing. He wiped a tear away with his free hand and sighed out.

"I forget what he looks like." My eyes immediately shot up to see his profile.

"I mean, i know what he looks like. But not the way I should. I should've mapped out every freckle that laid against his skin. Instead, I see him without a single mark. His image isn't the crisp perfection he is, its blurred and I can't put it into focus." He took his hand from underneath mind and brought both of his hand up to is face. He shook his head side to side and let out a quiet sob.

"God, I can't even remember what his laugh sounds like." I hesitantly put my hand on his back and he immediately placed his head on my shoulder. I placed my arm firmly around his frame.

"It's okay to hurt and it's okay to cry. It's not easy and you might never get over it. But you have to continue, for them. You don't have to live for them just yet, just survive for them. Show them you are still fighting for them. You haven't given up on them."

I wish I could say my words affected Josh, but my words held no value to him. As much as I'm sure he wanted to listen to what I was saying, I was merely just a shoulder to cry on. And maybe that's all he needed at that point. But that wasn't good enough for me. I had a urge to gain his trust and respect. I wanted my words to hold value in his eyes. I wanted them to mean just as much to him as they did to me.

We eventually left the forest after Josh's cries had calmed as the moon was making its presence in the fading sky. I left with determination to make sure Josh wasn't just surviving in this hell of a world , that he was living. And I was willing to live for him.

Once we had snuck back into the Peninsula, we separated with mumbled goodbyes. I had gotten a quick meal with Melanie and I told her about my mini adventure, leaving Josh's crying out of the story. She listened with such intensity it was surprising. But I soon found the cause of her focus was because she admitted to finding somewhat of a attraction to the mohawk man. I couldn't help but feel just a pang of jealousy but I ignored it. Melanie deserved someone to love, I already had someone.

Once we had said our goodbyes, I went to my room only to find it completely trashed. I picked up the sheets and remade the bed. I stripped down to my boxers ready to get into bed, only to hear a subtle knock at the door.

"Tyler?"


	8. 7

I scrambled for a loose pair of jeans that were laying on the floor and quickly pulled them up as Brendon stood at the door frame in shock.

"How did you- I thought you-" Brendon stepped further into my room as I looked around for a shirt. He scratched his head and looked around at the mess.

"I thought you ran off." He finally got out. I pulled on a white shirt and then started picking up all the clothes that were scattered on the floor, ignoring his statement.

"Tyler, you know I'm sorry. I really am. I don't know what got into me. I just figured we had a thing going on.I...I thought we felt the same." I placed the pile of clothes on the bed and sighed.

"A 'thing' going on? I've hardly known you for a week." Brendon sighed, his brows knotted with frustration.

"So when I kissed you, why didn't you pull back? Since you aren't obviously feeling the same as me."

"You want to know how I feel, Brendon?" I began. I turned to meet his frustrated eyes. "I feel like I'm just... surviving. You...you have this all figured out. You are living through this hell as if it is just a thunderstorm passing through. But not even a week ago, I was kept alive by my fear. Fear to live on for my wife...I thought I could do it for her. I deserve to suffer because of what I did to her. I deserve to live the rest of my life without love. So sorry if I didn't exactly respond the way you wanted." I unclenched my fists as Brendon's eyes dropped to the floor. He sighed and put his hands into his pockets. He looked up and tilted his head to the side. His whole demeanor changed before my eyes. He didn't have a drop of sorrow in his eyes. They were drained of any and all compassion in a mere blink.

"I don't think you understand the real power I hold around here, Tyler." He started walking towards me and I backed away from him until my back hit the wall farthest from the door.

"W-what?" Was the only thing I managed to get out. My heart's pace accelerated with my breathing as he stopped in front of me. He placed his hands firmly on the wall trapping me. He leaned in so our faces where inches apart. I could smell the stench of his aged whiskey hanging from his lips.

(.Trigger Warning.  
If you are easily triggered by non consensual sexual activities, please do not read until you see "***")

"I Always get what I want around here." Brendon forcefully crashed his lips onto mine. When I tried to move away, he gripped my jaw and slotted his leg inbetween mine, pinning me against the wall. His hands moved to grip my wrists tightly, leaving me completely defenseless.

Jenna began to sob in the back of my mind. she screamed for him to stop. Tears started pouring down my face as my body began to tremble under his touch. He grounded his hips into mine and I let out a sob as I felt my body actually giving into his movements. I felt him smirk against my neck as he bit harshly into the side of it. I strained my wrists against his hands trying anything to get out from his burning touch.

He pulled away and gripped my shirt, pushing me onto the bed. I started to back away from him as he started to unzip his pants. He quickly pulled me to him and trapped me between his legs before he ripped my shirt off.

Jenna's blood curdling screaming became the only thing I could focus on for the rest of the night.

********

I woke up to an empty bed, swollen eyes, and a throbbing pain that shot up my spine. I sat up and groaned out in pain. Jenna sat at the edge of my bed quietly crying into her hands.

"J-Jenna?" My voice was raw from crying and muffled screaming as I called out to my wife.

"How could you let him do that to you Tyler?" My heart sank to the pit of my stomach and I longed to be with Jenna at that exact moment.

"I-I'm sorry Jenna. I'm sorry I let you down, a-again." My throat screamed the urge to cry as a lump built up inside of it, but I couldn't. I had nothing left to cry out. I closed my eyes and took a breath in. When I opened my eyes, she was gone. The room was filled with the deafening silence.

I laid back down on the bed and closed my eyes, only to see vivid images from last night flash before me. I opened my eyes and shuddered as I felt his touch linger on my skin. I looked over to where my bag was placed on the chair and immediately got up from the bed, ignoring the pain radiating from my behind. I grabbed my bag and stuffed an extra shirt in there before practically running out of the room.

I passed by Melaine's office where she was tending to a child's bruised elbow. I whispered a soft good-bye to her, that I knew she couldn't hear, and I kept walking. Once I was out of the building I picked up my pace and headed straight for the gate. I stopped in front of the wooden slabs that was In Between me and my freedom and looked up to the people on watch.

"I-I want to leave" I said sternly. Dallon walked over to the edge of the platform with a rifle in his hand and smirked at me. He hopped down from the tall platform and walked over to me. He towered over me and I walked away from him slowly.

"Open the gate. I want to leave" I repeated. Dallon let out a laugh.

"Oh, you can't leave."

My brows furrowed in confusion and I looked up to the man.

"And why is that?" I asked.

"Once you are in here, there is no going back out." He gestured to the gate with his gun.

"Besides, you wouldn't last another day out there." Dallon chuckled and began to climb back up to his post.

"I don't care if I don't last another day. I want to get the fuck out of here." Dallon shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Okay fine. You want to leave to badly? Then go." Dallon pointed his gun at two people who were standing down by the gates.

"Let the brat out." The gate was pulled open and I started to walk out of it. I stopped when I felt someone grab my wrist and I instantly tried to flinch away. Another hand grabbed my forearm and in one swift motion I was pulled away from my freedom.

"Let go of me!" I yelled as I was continued to be pulled away from the gate.

 

"Do you really want to die?" I heard a voice whisper into my ear and down the back of my neck, instantly releasing the smallest bit of tension. I spun my head around and was met with butterscotch eyes drenched in worry.

"J-Josh?"

They would've killed you on the spot" Josh said. Josh looked back towards the gate. I looked up in the same direction to see the gate closing and Dallon glaring at me.

Josh pulled me into the space between two buildings. He checked around the corner to make sure no one followed us before speaking. When it was all clear he looked straight into my eyes.

"No one leaves the Peninsula. And Brendon has made sure this far that no one had a reason to leave." My body caved in on itself at the sound of his name.

"W-why can't anyone leave?" I asked. Josh sighed and leaned in closely.

"There's a lot of things about this place that you don't know about, Tyler."


	9. 8

"The Peninsula has had some competition with another survival group and Brendon is planning on attacking it."

"Wait, there are other groups?"

"Yes, there are lots of groups. One stole some of our medical supplies and that sent Brendon off the chain. He wants revenge and hes asking for war."

"That's...insane."

"There are very few sane people nowadays. There aren't people like you anymore, Tyler. If you take away someones way of living, they become... animals. Any logical sense of living is out of their minds. There is so much more to tell you, but well, it would just be easier to show you back at my lab." Josh looked around the corner of the building before looking back at me.

"We can go now, we won't run into anybody." Josh began to stand up but I quickly grabbed his arm.

"Wait, slow down. I don't understand. Josh, why are you telling me all of this?" Josh looked back to me and sighed.

"I want to leave the Peninsula as well, and you've had experience out there. I figured if we worked together, then maybe we could get out before it goes to shit. I know how its like in here and I think if would be best if we do this together. I trust you, Tyler... Do you trust me?" Josh looked into my eyes with worry. I quickly nodded my head and stood up from the ground.

"I trust you, Josh." He immediately smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me from the dark ally. We began to walk to the medical building where Josh's lab was. The sun was beginning to set and it frightened me, knowing i would have to stay alone tonight.

"Uh, hey Josh?" He hummed in response and looked to me.

"D-do you think, maybe, I could stay with you tonight? Um you know i-it's noisy in the medical building and I figure i-if we are going to sneak out then I might need some sleep but I mean only if you are okay wi-" Josh chuckled as we approached the medical building. He opened the door for me and I walked inside.

"Of course you can stay with me. It's quite lonely at night anyway." He shot me a goofy grin and i couldn't help but smile back.

"Thanks." I replied as we came to Josh's lab. Josh pulled out his keys and began to search for the correct one. That is, until he dropped them. Josh bent down to pick them up and as he was bent over, I saw a figure at the end of the hallway. Josh stood back up and I stepped closer to Josh.

"Josh, there is someone down there" I whispered and pointed slightly with my finger. Josh looked away from his keys and to the end of the hallway, where the figure began to walk towards us. The timed lights powered by the generators suddenly came on, adding light down the whole hallway. The figure became easier to see and we quickly figured out that it was Brendon. Josh stuffed his keys back into his pocket and started walking towards him, while I followed behind Josh slowly, not wanting to even be in the presence of Brendon. He flashed a smiled to the both of us before speaking.

"It is a lovely evening today isn't it?" Brendon began. "I hope you guys aren't skipping out on the Bash, it will be starting in a few minutes. In fact, why don't we all walk there together?" Brendon smiled wider and I hid behind Josh.

"Yes, sounds great, sir." Brendon walked past me and Josh and made his was for the door. Josh and I followed behind.

"Why are we going?" I whisper to Josh.

"If you don't decide to go willingly, then you better learn. Brendon won't take no for an answer." I nod my head and gulp down the memories from last night.

We walked out of the building and down the pavement were we could see other people walking the same direction as us. Brendon waved to a few of the people and it made me sick to my stomach. They didn't know what kind of monster he was. I suppressed the urge to cry as we approached an area with a crowd of people standing and cheering. Brendon pushed through the crowd and walked up to the back of a box truck. He turned so he could face the crowd.

"I know I can confidently say I am not the only one who is excited for tonight. Who's with me?" The crowd cheered and two guys came out from behind the truck with barricades as Brendon continued talking.

"We have been preparing a few months for tonight and I am so excited to say that it's finally here, The Bash!" The crowd continued to cheer as the men set up the barrier, separating them and Brendon from the crowd.

"Well, without any further delay, Let's get this started!" The crowd cheered once again as Dallon, Mikey, and Pete followed by a few other people came out from behind the truck. Each of them held a baseball bat in their hands. Brendon went to the back of the truck and began to unhook the doors.

"I want everyone to count down, ready?" The crowd counted down from 3 and Brendon quickly moved away from the opened doors. A biter came into view, followed by another, and another. They fell out of the truck and onto the ground. Dallon picked up the first one and struck it across it's head, sending blood in every direction. The crowds energy and cheering only grew at the site. Everyone was beating up the biters and the crowd was enjoying it. I couldn't believe my eyes. How could they watch something so cruel? I looked away unable to watch anymore of what was going down. Josh took notice and pulled me closer to him.

"Its terrible, I know." he whispered. I huddled into the warm of his body and tried to distract myself from the mess

"And that's the last one!" Brendon shouted. I looked back up to see the last biter standing at the end of the truck. The biter had exposed flesh everywhere. Its clothes were dirtied and stained with its own blood. Bite marks from other biters covered it's skin and blood stained its blonde hair. And finally, it hit me.

I wasn't staring at a biter, I was staring at my wife.


	10. 9

She was dragged out of the truck and onto the ground by Mikey. She struggled under his grip, hissing and groaning all while snapping her jaw. I began to push my way through the crowd of people, rubbing my eyes trying to wake myself up, trying to make myself see clearly, anything to tell me this wasn't real. I slowly approach the front of the crowd and pushed my way to the barricade. Josh called behind me but I didn't respond. I couldn't. My throat was swelled shut at first glance of her. My body convulsed and my chest accelerated. I gripped onto the barricade turning my knuckles white as I watched as Mikey let go of my wife and reach for his bat.

"J-Jenna..." I called out to her. I extended my hand out to her, inviting her to take it. Mikey and the others pushed Jenna around, leaning away when she would try and grab them; She was always feisty. If she wanted something she would fight until she got it, she was determined and that's what I loved about her. She knew what she wanted.

"Jenna!" I called a little louder to my wife. "Jenna please! It's Tyler! I'm so sorry." I began sobbing as I continued to reach out to her. I felt a hand on my shoulder but I pushed it off. The crowd drained out my sobs and calls to my wife. I had to be louder.

"Jenna!" I screamed. She turned around and I was met with my beautiful wife; I saw my love. Her blonde hair was flowing in the slight breeze and she had a bright smile on her face. Her clothes weren't torn and her porcelain skin was perfect, every freckle where it should be, and every crease and fold inline with its pairing joint. Her eyes where as vivid as ever they weren't faded to a musk white, they were sparkling jewels. The royal blue that captivated my heart, she blinked just to control its beating.

She began to walk towards my out stretched hand slowly, extending hers as well. My lips tightened into a smile and I no longer sobbed. And I didn't need to, my wife was here again.

"Jenna, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I love you, petal." She giggled at the pet name and shook her head, signaling I was forgiven. Our fingers where mere inches from meeting again. I would be able to hold my wife again. I would be able to sing all the songs written just for her and watch as her blue eyes would sparkle from her tears because she would be just so happy.

And just as our finger tips were to kiss like lips, Jenna's head snapped to the left and she fell to the ground. Her cold blood splattering across my face and my extended hand. Mikey stood behind where my wife was with a bloodied bat and a smirk. Jenna's body had turned back into a monster. Her flesh rotten and exposed, tainting the air. I stared at her body, limp and broken, and i screamed.

"NO!" The tears came back and flooded my vision. "No no no no NO! Jenna!" My knees were weak and I felt hands holding me from falling. My name was called and I tried to fight away from the hands, the hands keeping me from my wife.

 

"Let go of Me!" I screamed. I gripped the hands and dug my own nails into them until they retracted. I broke past the barricade and ran to my wife, watching as she yet again seasoned in a pool of her own pure blood. My knees collapsed at her side and I grabbed and held her bone exposed hand in my own. My sobs became louder as I screamed with her. Her body was completely still but I could still hear her cries for help, for me. My body shook with each cry that came out of my mouth. I had watched my wife die a second time right before my eyes.

I rocked myself back and forth, now aware of my surroundings. The crowd was silent and everyone was still, staring at me. I flinched when I felt a hand softly placed on my back and I looked up to see Brendon. Fire rushed through my veins. I let go of my wife's and and stood up to look at Brendon.

"This is all your fault! You killed her!" I grabbed a bat from the ground and swung it right at the side of Brendon's head sending him toppling over in pain. I sobbed and dropped the bat on the ground and huddled over my wife, trying to remember her one more time before I was rushed off the ground by two men.

"Fuck you" I spat out to Brendon who was on the ground in pain, being looked at by Dallon, Mikey, and Pete. "Fuck you, Brendon!" I wailed as I was pulled away from from everyone, including Josh. I continued to sob and watched as my feet dragged dead on the ground. Dead. Jenna was dead and gone. The only forever she could promise was a forever without her. The rest of my life without the love of my life.

I was thrown into a dark room without a word, and the men walked out, locking the door what I could assume was at least three times. But I didn't care. I stayed on the ground, all my energy drained from my system. I stared into the darkness with images of my wife flashing perfectly into the sunken atmosphere. My eyes taunting me at what i'd never have again.

I curled into myself, the cold cement floor brushing the part of my side that was exposed from my shirt riding up. Tears effortlessly continued to run down my face. My head throbbed in pain and my throat was raw. I let the silence consume my existence. It was the only thing I could focus on. The silence haunted me and I let it; Because what was there left to do?


	11. 10

All sense of time is completely lost in the dark. Its hard to tell if it speeds up or if it slows it down. I was laying on the cold concrete ground until my side began to cramp up. It felt like hours had past, but it could've also only been a few minutes. Either way, it was long enough for the tears to stain and the pain to stick.

Every fiber in my body ached. I was drained of everything I had. I felt degraded and exposed and afraid. And yet, I couldn't bring myself to care. I had nothing, just the dark. And for a moment, the darkness felt safe. It completely encircled my existence. It was nice to not be able to tell the difference between the back of my eyelids and the walls. But the pain made it hard to focus on anything and it eventually became the only thing I wanted to focus on. I wanted to claw off my own skin and give it to Brendon, it was the only thing of mine he hadn't taken. Maybe i'd even take a blade to the eye so he could have my sight as well. Because I sure as hell didn't want to see what he's made of my life. Only with my sight would he be able to see the damage he has done. It was almost comical to think how naïve I was. To think that only the dead became monsters. To think the only raging war was between the living and the dead. But it was only when I was left alone I figured out that to survive you must fight the dead and fear the living. The living were the real monsters.

I heard shuffling from what I assumed was coming from behind the door. Four distinctive clicks echoed through the dark, and my body froze, hoping if I was still enough I could hide within the shadows. The door was pushed open and light spilled into the room as it creaked slowly. I sat up quickly, only to wince away from the light. I squinted my eyes, letting my eyelashes block out most of the light. I saw someone standing in the door frame hesitant to come in.

"J-josh?" I called out automatically to the figure.

"Josh is a little busy right now." I moved away from the light at the sound of his voice.

"Why are you here, Dallon? Did B-Brendon send you to off me?" He chuckled and walked into the room, and began to make his way towards me.

"Oh believe me, if I was allowed to kill you, you'd already be dead." He made his way closer to me and I push myself away from him by my heels, my back hitting the wall.

"The less you cooperate the harder this will be for you. So I suggest you stop being a little bitch and get the fuck up." Dallon towered over me and gripped my arm, pulling me up from the ground and out into the fluorescent hallway. My body was weak so it made it hard to walk. I was practically dragged along by Dallon through the hall. We stopped in front of another windowless door and Dallon shoved me in and closed the door behind me. I collapsed to the ground, and it felt similar to the room before, cold and dead. I suddenly heard muffled screams and cries coming from the back of the room. I looked up from the ground to see Josh tied up into a wooden chair, unable to move his wrists and legs. He had a rag holding his mouth ajar gagging him.

"Oh my god.." I quickly got up from the floor and made my way over to the helpless man. His wrists were rubbed raw and his face bright red and strained from crying. His right eye blossomed blue and brown and swelled to a squint. He stared up to me helplessly his eyes streaming an apology. I took the gag from his mouth and let it hang around his neck so he could speak.

"I'm s-so sorry Tyler- f-fuck - I didn't want any of this to h-happen." I crouched down, ignoring the screaming pain in my spine and began to quickly try and undo his wrists.

"N-no Tyler, Stop." I halted my actions and looked up to him.

"We can get out of here. Together, Josh." I continued to try and break free his wrist.

"How are we supposed to g-get out? They locked the f-fucking door and there is nothing to break open the d-door. We can't fight them, and they a-always have weapons. Trust me, its going to make it worse when he finds me untied." I stood up and observed the man. I had never seen him this vulnerable before. Tears stained his cheeks like mine and he was completely ripped of any dignity he had. I knew if he could, he would cower away from me just to miss the aim of my pity.

"He will get what he deserves one day" I said with my jaw clenched. Josh's head quickly shot up when we heard the door slowly go through the phases of unlocking.

 

"P-put the gag back." I nodded my head and quickly placed the cloth back into his mouth. The door opened and Brendon walked in by himself. I stood closer to josh as Brendon walked in without a word. He sat down at a metal desk, one you would usually see in an interrogation room and gestured to the opposite chair from him.

"Tyler, lets talk."


	12. 11

My gaze averted to Josh who's sight was concentrated on Brendon. I could see Josh's jaw tighten, pure hatred radiating off of him. I looked back up to Brendon and slowly started making my way to the table. I sat down in the chair and locked my eyesight to the ground. Brendon cleared his throat before speaking. 

"Tyler, look at me." I lifted my gaze to the table and then up to him. A clear bruise formed on the side of his head where I hit him and I wished in that moment that I could've done more. Brendon sighed and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. 

"Im disappointed in you, Tyler." I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the man. 

"Y-you're disappointed in me?" I gestured to myself before hugging my arms around my frame loosely. I looked up to him. "What do you want from me?" My eyes shifted between his and he stared at me straight forward. 

"I want you" Brendon stated. His demeanor didn't shift in the slightest as he leaned forward onto the desk. "But it was rude of you to hit me. It was uncalled for. You're lucky I'm letting you off this easy." 

"I'm lucky? When, through all of this, have I been lucky?" 

"Well I don't have you tied up like Josh, do I?" I looked back to Josh behind me who stared back at me. I turned back to Brendon. 

"You took everything I had."

"You didn't have much." Brendon reached into his back pocket and threw a small journal onto the table. My journal.

My eyes grew wide at the sight of my journal.   
"You...you had this the whole time?" I slowly reached for it and Brendon put his hand on top of mine. I quickly retracted my hand from the man. 

"Come on, Ty. Dont be like this."

"You fucking raped me" I spat out at Brendon in a low octave, my vocal chords grinding against gravel trying to control myself from showing any emotion. I heard Josh try to shout out. Brendon sighed. 

"I figured you were just being stubborn, playing hard to get, like always" Brendon said, trying to justify his actions. 

"You don't even care" I stared back down at the floor. Brendon stood up from his chair and walked over to me. He grabbed my shirt and pull me up right against him. Josh cried out and writhed around in the seat. 

"I do care" he said into my ear, his breath hitting my neck and rolling down my spine giving me an uneasy feeling. "But I also want you. You are mine. And I get to do whatever the fuck I want with you." He pushed me away as another chill shot down my aching spine. 

"Strip." He stated. I took a step back and wrapped my arms around myself. 

"W-what do yo-"

"Fucking take off your clothes."

"W-why are you d-" Brendon took out a knife out of his pocket and flicked it open before walking over to Josh. Josh tensed around the knife. Brendon looked down at the knife and watched as it glistened in the light. 

"Each piece of clothing you remove, I'll remove one of Josh's restraints." My eyes shifted to Josh and he shook my head at me, telling me no. 

"W-what if I don't?" Brendon moved closer to Josh and brought the knife right up to his face. Brendon grabbed Josh's hair and tilted his head back. In one swift motion the sharp metal slit right across Josh's right cheek bone. Josh cried out and bit into the gag around his mouth. 

"No! Stop!" Brendon pulled away from Josh with a smirk. I looked over to Josh one more time, seeing blood trickle down his face. Brendon motioned with a nod of his head for me to start. 

With shaky hands I held the bottom of my shirt and I pulled it off, letting it fall to the floor. I wrapped my arms around my torso. 

"Go on." Brendon watch eagerly. 

"Not until you undo Josh." Brendon rolled his eyes and leaned down to quickly cut the duct tape off of Josh's right ankle. He pointed at me with knife. 

I looked down to my boots and began to untie them and slide them off my feet. Brendon leaned down and cut free his other ankle. I let out a shaky breath as tears started to make their way down my face. I gripped the hem of my pants and began to unbutton them. I pulled the zipper down and shoved my pants off, leaving me in my boxers. Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around my frame again. Brendon let out a laugh and I held in a sob. Brendon began to cut free Josh's right wrist. 

"You may be stubborn as hell but you are a fucking nice piece of-" In one fluid motion, Josh griped Brendon's shirt and pulled him right in his head, hitting directly onto his bruise. Brendon fell backwards and hit the back of his head on the edge of the table, knocking him unconscious. Josh pulled the gag from his mouth and picked the knife off the ground, cutting his other wrist free. 

"J-Josh..." I was at a loss for words. I stood there with my jaw open slightly. He made his way over to me and brought my bare body into his. I sobbed into his shoulder and he held me tighter. 

"Im so sorry, Tyler" Josh whispered, his voice cracking. "So fucking sorry." I continued to sob into his shoulder. He rubbed his hands up and down my bare spine slowly unwinding all the built up stress. I pulled away slightly so his arms where still wrapped around me. I looked into his mocha eyes and all I saw was fear. He brought his right hand up to my cheek and brushed away a tear with his thumb. I leaned into his hand slightly and letting out a deep breath.

"Do you, uh, want to put your clothes back on?" He asked. I nodded and completely pulled away from him, reaching down to grab my pants and slide them back on. I got my shirt and threw it on as well before sliding back into my boots. I felt a breath of relief sweep through my body and the mere thought of having clothing on again. 

"What are we going to do with Brendon? He's out cold" I asked as I walked over to Josh while he inspected the knife. 

 

"I've got an idea" Josh said with a smirk. 

 

 

I ripped off the last piece of duct tape that held down Brendon's left arm to the chair. Josh tied the cloth around Brendon's mouth before pulling away an examining the mans sleeping body. Josh chuckled. 

"Perfect."

On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 4:28 PM, Bree Dineley wrote:

(Warning this chapter includes non consented actions)

 

My gaze averted to Josh who's sight was concentrated on Brendon. I could see Josh's jaw tighten, pure hatred radiating off of him. I looked back up to Brendon and slowly started making my way to the table. I sat down in the chair and locked my eyesight to the ground. Brendon cleared his throat before speaking. 

"Tyler, look at me." I lifted my gaze to the table and then up to him. A clear bruise formed on the side of his head where i hit him and i wished in that moment that i could've done more. Brendon sighed and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. 

"Im disappointed in you, Tyler." I could help but let out a laugh at the man. 

"Y-you're disappointed in me?" I gestured to myself before hugging my arms around my frame loosely. I looked up to him. "What do you want from me?" My eyes shifted between his and he stared at me straight forward. 

"I want you" Brendon stated. His demeanor didn't shift the slightest as he leaned forward onto the desk. "But it was rude of you to hit me. It was uncalled for. Your lucky im letting you off this easy." 

"I'm lucky? When, through all of this, have i been lucky?" 

"Well I don't have you tied up like Josh, do I?" I looked back to Josh behind me who stared back at me. I turned back to Brendon. 

"You took everything I had."

"You didn't have much." Brendon reached into his back pocket and threw a small journal onto the table. My journal.

My eyes grew wide at the sight of my journal.   
"You...you had this the whole time?" I slowly reached for it and Brendon put his hand on top of mine. I quickly retracted my hand from the man. 

"Come on, Ty. Dont be like this."

"You fucking raped me" I spat out at Brendon in a low octave, my vocal chords grinding against gravel trying to control myself from showing any emotion. I heard Josh try to shout out. Brendon sighed. 

"I figured you were just being stubborn, playing hard to get, like always" Brendon said, trying to justify his actions. 

"You don't even care" i stared back down at the floor. Brendon stood up from his chair and walked over to me. He grabbed my shirt and pull me up right against him. Josh cried out and writhed around in the seat. 

"I do care" he said into my ear, his breath hitting my neck and rolling down my spine giving me an uneasy feeling. "But i also want you. You are mine. And i get to do whatever the fuck i want with you." He pushed me away as another chill shot down my aching spine. 

"Strip." He stated. I took a step back and wrapped my arms around myself. 

"W-what do yo-"

"Fucking take off your clothes."

"W-why are you d-" Brendon took out a knife out of his pocket and flicked it open before walking over to Josh. Josh tensed around the knife. Brendon looked down to the knife and watched at it glistened in the light. 

"Each piece of clothing you remove, i'll remove one of Josh's restraints." My eyes shifted to Josh and he shook my head at me, telling me no. 

"W-what if I don't?" Brendon moved closer to Josh and brought the knife right up to his face. Brendon grabbed Josh's hair and tilted his head back. In one swift motion the sharp metal slit right across Josh's right cheek bone. Josh cried out and bit into the gag around his mouth. 

"No! Stop!" Brendon pulled away from Josh with a smirk. I looked over to Josh one more time, seeing blood trickle down his face. Brendon motioned with a nod of his head for me to start. 

With shaky hands i held the bottom of my shirt and i pulled it off, letting it fall to the floor. I wrapped my arms around my torso. 

"Go on." Brendon watch eagerly. 

"Not until you undo Josh." Brendon rolled his eyes and leaned down to quickly cut the duct tape off of Josh's right ankle. He pointed at me with knife. 

I looked down to my boots and began to untie them and slide them off my feet. Brendon leaned down and cut free his other ankle. I let out a shaky breath as tears started to make their way down my face. I griped the hem of my pants and began to unbutton them. I pulled the zipper down and shoved my pants off, leaving me in my boxers. Instinctively, i wrapped my arm around my frame again. Brendon let out a laugh and i held in a sob. Brendon began to cut free Josh's right wrist. 

"You may be stubborn as hell but you are a fucking nice piece of-" In one fluid motion, Josh griped Brendon's shirt and pulled him right in his head, hitting directly onto his bruise. Brendon fell backwards and hit the back of his head on the edge of the table, knocking out unconscious. Josh pulled the gag from his mouth and picked the knife off the ground, cutting his other wrist free. 

"J-Josh..." I was at a loss for words. I stood there with my jaw open slightly. He made his way over to me and brought my bare body into his. I sobbed into his shoulder and he held me tighter. 

"Im so sorry, Tyler" Josh whispered, his voice cracking. "So fucking sorry." I continued to sob into his shoulder. He rubbed his hands up and down my bare spine slowly unwinding all the built up stress. I pulled away slightly so his arms where still wrapped around me. I looked into his mocha eyes and all i saw was fear. He brought his right hand up to my cheek and brushed away a tear with his thumb. I leaned into his hand slightly and letting out a deep breath.

"Do you, uh, what to put your clothes back on?" He asked. I nodded and completely pulled away from him, reaching down to grab my pants and slide them back on. I got my shirt and threw it on as well before sliding back into my boots. I felt a breath of relief sweep through my body and the mere thought of having clothing on again. 

"What are we going to do with Brendon? He's out cold" i asked as i walked over to Josh while he inspected the knife. 

"I've got an idea" Josh said with a smirk. 

 

 

I ripped off the last piece of duct tape that held down Brendon's left arm to the chair. Josh tied the cloth around Brendon's mouth before pulling away an examining the mans sleeping body. Josh chuckled. 

"Perfect."


	13. 12

We got out of the room using a set of keys Brendon had on him. We snuck down the unfamiliar hallway. The artificial lighting wasn't much of a source of help; It flickered constantly and half of the lights weren't even on. I had to squint my eyes to stay focused on Josh. 

"Do you know where we are?" I whispered. Josh nodded his head. We walked to a door at the end of the hallway and Josh took Brendon's keys out of his pocket, shakily trying to unlock the door. 

"Here," I took the keys from his hands and slid the key into it easily, hearing the click of the door unlocking. 

"Why is it locked from the inside?" Josh pushed through the door and I followed behind. It was pitch black outside, only being able to see the stars that littered the sky. It any other situation they would be beautiful. He closed the door behind me and pointed to it. 

"There is no handle on the outside. Nobody gets in and if you don't have keys-" he jingled the keys in his hand "-no one gets out." He gently grabbed my hand and smiled at me. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in at the touch. Through the bruises that encircled them, his eyes were as strong as ever. He gave my hand a light squeeze. 

"We are going to get through this, okay? We are going to get out of here." His eyes flickered between mine. 

"I will keep you safe, Tyler." I collapsed into his body, feeling the warmth radiating that came across tender and endearing. I almost believed him. He wrapped his arms around my frame for a firm and reassuring hug before pulling away. 

"We need to go to my lab. Its not that far away, just two buildings down that way" he gestured behind himself. "It's dark so no one will see us out past curfew." He looked at me and I nodded my head and he began to delicately pull me along. We traveled along behind the buildings. The longer we were in the dark the easier it was to make out objects. I could see the outline of the buildings, where they started and where they ended. I could also see we were traveling close to a wired fence. Our movements halted when we heard a low growl. We were practically to the building when we stopped. we heard some rustling followed by another growl. All was quiet for a second and I could hear the fright in my hearts beating. But then, something attacked the fence, making it push out slightly. The growling intensified sounding like ravenous snarls. Its muscle void fingers clawed through the braided wires. 

"It's a biter" Josh whispered. I felt around my pockets. 

"I got it" I whispered back as I pulled Brendon's knife from my back pocket. My eyes had completely adjusted and I could see the creature. The dead skin, dead eyes, dead- well- everything. The only thing that was alive was its hunger for anything living. Through the holes of the fence, I quickly pierced into the man thing's eye, wincing at the pure sound of the knife ripping through the layers. I twisted the knife, watching as dark navy blood dripped from the socket. I disengaged the knife and inspected it, staring at the indigo substance that coated the blade. The body went limp and fell down to the ground. I wiped the knife off on my shirt and stuck it back in my pocket. 

"Alright lets go" Josh started walking again but as soon as I turned to start walking I heard a clank on the fence deep gasps and snarls following. 

"Another one" I called out going to get my knife again. But then another body hit the fence, full body weight against it as it snapped its jaw at me. Five more biters appeared from the trees surrounding the fence and came behind the others, pushing up against the fence. I backed away from the fence as more appeared, a chorus of grunts and wire clanging filled the air. 

"Uh J-Josh..." I called out while continuing to back away. More biters appeared clawing through the fence. Josh walked over to the bulging fence. 

"What is with all the fucking noise?" Me and Josh turned around and looked between the two buildings as a humanly figure with a gun by their side. Josh pulled me all the way to the next building and we hid, being as quiet as we could trying not to draw the woman with a gun closer to us as she went up to inspect the group of biters. 

 

And then, the fence broke.


	14. 13

The fence was stomped into the ground, bodies stepping over the wiring, some tripping and others getting stuck. The rest were making their way into the Peninsula; some going towards the short haired girl, and the rest coming in our direction. The girl began shouting for others and firing her shotgun. One biter came up to us and, with the knife still in my hand, I jabbed into its eye, and disengaged the knife quickly. Josh was defenseless standing beside me. One grabbed onto his arm but I pushed it to the ground, tackling it, and stabbing it. The small knife was dulling quickly and their where too many bodies to count. Josh pulled me up from the rotting body and started running to the front of the building. 

"Josh! Someone will see us!" I shouted at him. 

"I really don't want to fucking die from those things. They won't even notice us with theses creatures running around loose. We need to get to my lab." He snapped, pulling me along. 

"What's so important about your lab?" I asked. He ignored my question as we stopped in front of the building door. A group of people that were once guarding at the gate ran right past us with their guns up, not even a glance our way. Josh quickly gave me a look that said 'I told you so' and went to grab the keys from his pocket, unlocking the door. 

I quickly pushed the door closed with my back and let out a breath. Josh tossed me the keys I turned around and, after a few attempts at figuring out which key it was, locked the door. It wouldn't hold them back forever, but it would work for the time being. I tossed the keys back to Josh and he broke out into a jog down the hall. 

We finally made it to his lab. He let out a breath and went to unlock the door. He opened the door and flicked the light switch, lighting up the whole room. The room was a complete mess. Bloody hand prints smeared onto the light beige walls, metal desks scattered with papers and empty beakers, and broken glass glittered the floor. Josh walked quickly and went into a back closet. My mouth hung open at the state of the place. I slowly walked through the whole room.

A notebook was laid out on top of the nearest desk. 

"Patient 7926-7677  
Reaction to family photos:   
Unresponsive   
Reaction to name:  
Unresponsive  
Reaction to loved ones names:  
Unresponsive   
Reaction to favorite music:  
Unresponsive   
Reaction to being talked to:  
Unresponsive   
Reaction to human interaction:  
Vigorous thrashing, jaw snapping, patient broke through restraints. Patien-"

The rest of the page was soaked in blood. I began to walk back to where Josh was. One question stuck out in my head, what the hell was going on in here? 

"What the-" I heard a thump come from the door beside me. It looked to be a closet. I stopped walking and went over to the door. I started to pull the door towards me by its handle.

"No wait, Tyler don't open, that-" A biter charged straight through the door towards me and I fell to the ground trying to escape. I closed my eyes and held my arms up in my face, waiting to feel the dead weight of the body on me. 

"It's not going to get you." Josh said. I slowly opened my eyes.

"What the fuck?" The biters hands where cuffed together and it was held back by a chain, like a dog on a leash. It tried to lunge towards me, snapping its jaw. Its skin hung loose under its blank eyes, giving it a restless look. It still had some hair, others places where hair should have been was exposed flesh. It's hair was a chocolate brown, much like my own. It's clothes weren't tattered at all, in fact they looked fairly clean aside from a few dribbles of spit near the top. What hair it had was neatly brush and didn't look messy at all. 

I stood up from the ground moving closer to inspect the creature. Its breath was horrid so I held my own as I looked at it closer. 

"That's- uh- That's my husband, Ryan." Josh spoke shamefully. 

I looked down to see a ring similar to Josh's on the biters finger. 

"Josh..." He placed the few things in that were in his arms onto the nearby desk. He walked over to the bit- his husband- and slowly walked him back into the closet, closing the door with a sigh. He rested his head against the door. 

"Josh" I called to him again. 

"I-I couldn't let him go..." He said. "I've been trying for months to get him back. Not only him, others too that Brendon gave me, but they all failed." He lifted his head and his sad eyes met mine. 

"Don't look at me like I'm stupid. I know he's...gone. I know he's dead. He's fucking dead...I just can't live with myself knowing I didn't try to do something." He went over to the table where he placed all the things from earlier. A gun, some pocket knives, a bag, and some fishing line. 

"Josh, if you hold onto him, you'll never be able to move on." I moved closer to him. He leaned against the desk, hovering over the supplies. 

"We could leave tonight." He ignored me and changed the subject. "The fence is down and there is no way they will be able to fix it tonight with all of them in the community." He looked up at me and started to walk over to me. 

"If you want to leave." He said, his eyes switching between mine. 

"Y-Yeah I do bu-"

 

"Okay, good. then lets go." He started to pack up the bag. 

"Jos-"

"-We get go down to the warehouse, get some food and other supplies."

"Josh what ab-"

"-and then we could get out through the gate and be far away from this hell-"

"Josh." I said sternly. He stopped rambling and looked at me. 

"What?" He asked. 

"How are we supposed to get through all the biters?" He thought for a second. 

"We can use Ryan." He motioned to the closet behind him. "If we keep him close, then they won't notice us." 

"I don't know, Josh. How will we know it would work?"

"Why are you questioning everything now, Tyler? You are the one that wanted to leave. I don't understand why-" Josh stopped speaking and looked at the door that opened to the hall. A thump was heard against the door. Josh's jaw was slightly open and he slowly turned to look at me. 

He walked over to the door and put his ear against it. He jumped back a bit when he heard another thump and growling. He turned to face me, automatically pressing his body weight into the door. 

"Uh, we might have a small problem." He said. "They are in the building."


	15. 14

"What the hell do we do now?" I asked. Josh had his body sprawled out against the door as some kept trying to open it. 

"Go grab a -fuck- a c-chair and prop it under the door handle." I looked around the room until I saw a chair that was laying in the corner. I grabbed the wooden chair and rushed over to Josh. He moved out of the way and I stuck the chair under the handle. I examined the temporary door barricade. 

"For Christ sake Josh, the door was unlocked." I flicked the lock, hearing the satisfying click of being one step closer to safety. 

"Oh, sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. I looked up to him. His eyes were in dire need of rest and patchy stubble was forming on his face. Not to mention the bruises that were about the only color adorning his face. He looked to the ground, not wanting to make eye contact with me. But, I wanted him to look at me. I wanted to know that he thought we were alright. 

"J-Josh?" His head shot up from the floor and towards me. He must've seen the fear in my eyes because his walked over to me and put his hands on my shoulders. He looked into my eyes with the same fear I had. Nevertheless, it didn't stop him from trying to convince me.

"Hey, we will get through this. Somehow. We've made it this far, together, and we will get through this together." 

It's strange how whenever you first meet someone, it's like their words mean nothing. Their words hold no value to you, partially because they don't mean much to you. I mean, how could they? All you know is the outside, what they look like, and the emotions they express. And as much as I wanted to comfort Josh that one day in the forest, that just wasn't the case. I was merely just a shoulder for him to cry on, someone to listen to him rant. To be fair, his words didn't mean much to me then, either. But now, his words were everything. He's the only one I've got. Friend or not, we needed each other. 

I think I shocked Josh a bit by relaxing into his touch. Instant relief flooded through my veins at his simple words. A small smile and a slight head nod extinguished through my breath. I probably believed his words more than he did, but that didn't stop him from returning a frantic smile. 

"You're scared." I spoke softly. He nodded his head slowly and I brought my hands up to his arms. My finger brushed lightly against the vivid hues set upon lush greens that dressed his arm. I was lost in the deep navy and golden swirls for a moment. But I snapped myself out of the tattoo induced trance and grabbed both of his arms reassuringly. "Me too. A lot, if I'm being honest. A-and I have a lot of questions... But we need to get out of here, Josh-" I looked over to the door. The handle moved as if someone was trying to open it. "-Before they get us." 

"I know you're right." He took his hands from my shoulders and I hid a frown that formed from the loss of warmth. "Eventually, Ashley and her group will come down this hall and start trying to kill off most of them because they are fucking idiots." I furrowed my brows. 

"Isn't killing them... good?" 

"In most cases, yes. But when they herd up like that, you can't just kill them all. There is too many to take on one on one. The lingerers will completely destroy them before they even get halfway through. There's gotta be fifty of them out there. Its the best to lead them out of the building and out of the community. The sound of the guns would only attract more. Not to mention how much of the ammo supply they would be using killing them." There was a pause.

"Then why don't we do that?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" 

"I mean, let's lead away the herd before the dumb-ass squad gets to them and starts shooting them all." 

"Oh...Hm." Josh lifted his hand to his chin and started pacing. His eyebrows were knitted together and he bit slightly on his bottom lip, in deep concentration. he stopped pacing and went to the back closet, the one without his husband in it, and came back out with a hammer and a grin on his face. 

"I've got an idea." he ran over to a boarded up window and began to pull nails out from the wood. He got the first board off and he tossed it behind himself. 

"We can get out through this window and run to the front of the building. Then, we can lead them away from the building with a flare gun, I should have one in my closet. And we can steal one of the cars and get the fuck away from here." He pulled off the second board and turned to me with a proud smile on his face. "What do you think?" 

 

"What about supplies? We have nothing." I retorted. 

"Each car or truck has a month's worth of supplies for four people in the back, in case we ever needed to evacuate."

"And all the innocent people? Are we just going to leave them?"

"We can't save everyone, Tyler." He continued to pulled nails up from the boards. 

"What about Melanie?"

"What about her?" He asked.

"Doesn't she stay in this building because she runs medical?" 

"Yeah. Her room in the first one in this hall."Josh stopped pulling nails from the board and looked at me. "Oh shit... She hardly ever locks her door so people can get her help if they need it." Josh stated.

"Y-you don't think-" He worked faster on pulling up the nails, getting the last board off the window. 

"W-what if s-shes... - oh god-." I fell to the ground as I looked out to the window to see it blocked completely by biters. I sobbed into my hands, my whole body shaking. Josh yelled at the window before gripping at his hair, not knowing what else to do. 

"They are fucking everywhere!" He yelled. They clawed at the window, hungry, trying to reach Josh. 

"Tyler, get up we gotta... we gotta do something." I tried to stand, only to have my knees completely give out. 

"I -I can't stand, J-Josh." He ran over to me and helped me up, holding me into his arms. His body was shaking and so was mine. We were surrounded. The biters outside had Josh's husband all roweled up in the closet and he continually banged against the door. 

We heard the echo of gunshots down the hallway and Josh sighed.

"We're fucked." He whimpered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao this sucks


	16. 15

We eventually ended up on the floor, huddled together. The gunshots had attracted all the biters away from the window but we couldn't risk moving. I had my head tucked into his neck, completely encompassed in the darkness our bodies created. It was nice and felt spacious, even though his arms were firmly placed around me. It felt like for the first time, I could think clearly. 

"Josh, we gotta do something" I mumbled into the fabric of his shirt. 

"I know...I have an idea, but it's risky." He sighed, leaning his head against the wall.

"What is it?"

"Well, the only way to get through the mob is to be one of them. smell like them, walk like them, and sound like them."

"That doesn't sound that bad." I say.

"Well to smell like them, we have to be covered in them. Head to toe." Josh responds. 

"Covered in them?" He sighed. 

"We have to get one of them and...cut them open, layer their bloods and guts on to our flesh." I lift my head from his neck and look up to him, now suddenly realizing how close we are. 

"C-cut it open?" He nods.

"The only dangerous part is, well, the threat of getting shot, and getting a body to cut open." 

"And being completely surrounded by the biters" I add.

"Yeah... that too." he sighed again. "Just how are we going to get one of them without opening the door?" his question hung in the air. His husband rattled the closet door and I looked over to him. 

"I-I have an idea... But I don't think you're gonna like it." I stated. Josh lifted his head and looked to my line of sight. 

"What are you getting at?" God, is he this clueless? 

"W-we could, well uh, what about, you know, him?" I gesture to the moving closet door. Josh turns to look back at me.

"You can't be serious" There was a pause. "I'm not going to cut up my own husband!" He lifted his arms away from my body and stood up from the ground, I stood up as well, slowly as to not hurt my bruised body even more.

"I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea." He sighs. "But, what are you going to do with him?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"When we leave. Are you just going to leave him here? To rot away from the rest of his undead life? We are both hurt and tired. We can't fight anymore, we have to be smart and unless you have any other ideas..."

"No, im not going to chop up my fucking husband, end of discussion." I put my hands up and went back to sitting on the floor, letting out a sigh. Josh paced the room, his bottom lip tucked under his teeth as he thought. 

"Well?" 

"I'm thinking" He snapped. He stopped pacing for a second. "They stopped...They stopped shooting." Josh ran over to the door and put his ear against it. "There are still lingerers out there." He pulled away from the door and ran a hand through his hair letting out a shaky sigh. He leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, his knees tucked into his chest. He stared off to the opposite wall, his scared, tired eyes paired well with his messy brows that curved up just the slightest amount to communicate that he was terrified. But if his eyes weren't enough, he held his hands in one another rubbing them together harshly as they shook alongside the rest of his body. He then played with the ring that was so perfectly crafted for his muscular finger. He slid the steel up his finger, as if he was to take it off, but at the last second slid it back to its original spot. His head hung low, I could only see the top of his head, his messy mohawk that I just now realized was splattered with little specks of crimson, making some parts of his hair appear dark red. 

The growling outside only seemed to get louder as we sat on the floor. It felt like it had been forever since we exchanged words into the tense air. So when Josh lifted his head and let out a shaky sigh into the atmosphere, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Okay." He finally said. I furrowed my brows.

"Okay, what?" I asked.

"We can... use him." He said, gesturing to the closet.

"Are you sure Josh I don't wan-"

"No, I'm never going to be sure. But we need to get out of here. So lets do this before I change my mind, please?" he pinched the bridge of his nose letting out a huff. I stood up from the floor and walked over to him, offering my hand. He pulled his face away from his fingers and grabbed my hand with a sad smile. I pulled him off the ground and brought him into a hug.

"I know this isn't easy for you, but you aren't alone anymore. We will get through this." I felt him nod his head and we pulled away walking over to the closet door. I grabbed the knife off the table and held it loosely in my hand. We both stood in front of the door, unsure of what to do. 

"D-do you want me to-"

"Yes, please." He practically begged. I adjusted the knife in my hand and went to open the door. 

"B-be gentle." His voice was broken. I gave him a slight smile and a nod. 

"Of course." 

I let out a shaky breath and opened the closet door. Of course, he lunged towards me and I had to back up until the chain pulled tight. I saw Josh walk away slightly, hand over his mouth. My gut twisted at the thought of what I was about to do. I walked closer to the biter, but not before looking back at Josh. He stood there, back facing me with his hands over his face. 

"Do you want to say goodbye?" I asked softly. He turned around and gave a nod, slowly walking over to his husband. Tears lined his eyes and his lip trembled, he looked as if he were to burst any second. 

"I want to say good-bye to m-my husband, but I really hope I'm not. R-ryan, I hope you are far away from here, god, I really do. T-this hell that took you away from me, it's unbearable..." He sighed, wiping a fallen tear. "But part of me also wishes that you stayed with me, through all of this." He laughed sadly. "I-I wish I could remember the sound of your laugh, or the brightness of your smile...you made me so happy, I don't know what I'll do without you." Josh moved closer to the biter, oblivious to its strangled jaw snapping and inability to comprehend him as anything but food. He tried to stroke the biters face, but he withdrew his hand as soon as it tried to bite him. He sighed, placing the hand on the biters shoulder.   
"I-I love you, Ryan...I love you so fucking much. Whether you are here with me or not, I'll miss you." Josh pulled his hand away from the struggling creature. He grabbed the knife out of my loose grip. 

"Josh what are you-"

"Goodnight, my love." In one swift motion, Josh brought the knife up to the biters head, impaling the monster his husband had become. He fell to the floor with the limp biter and began to sob into the still body. 

Josh killed his husband. The only thought that stood out in my head. Pain sufficed in the pit of my chest at the thought of having to do that to my Jenna. I kneeled down to the floor, tears streaming my face as well, and wrapped Josh up in my arms. His body wracked mine, but I didn't care. 

"I'm so sorry, Josh." I whispered to him. "You are so strong." His sobbing had quieted a bit and he held the body in his hands, staring down at the dark navy blood coming from below the knife lodged in his husbands head. 

"I loved him so much." He spoke. His voice was broken. I rocked him slightly in my arms. 

"I know, Josh...I know."


End file.
